Devanagari
लिखन्त्यधोमुखी भूमिं पदा नखमणिश्रिया ।
उवाच ललितां वाचं निरुध्याश्रुकलां शनै: ॥ ५० ॥
Verse text
likhanty adho-mukhī bhūmiṁ
padā nakha-maṇi-śriyā
uvāca lalitāṁ vācaṁ
nirudhyāśru-kalāṁ śanaiḥ
Synonyms
likhantī
—
scratching
;
adhaḥ
—
mukhī — her head bent down
;
bhūmim
—
the ground
;
padā
—
with her foot
;
nakha
—
nails
;
maṇi
—
gemlike
;
śriyā
—
with radiant
;
uvāca
—
she spoke
;
lalitām
—
charming
;
vācam
—
accents
;
nirudhya
—
suppressing
;
aśru
—
kalām — tears
;
śanaiḥ
—
slowly .
Translation
She stood and scratched the ground with her foot, which was radiant with the luster of her gemlike nails. Her head bent down, she spoke in slow yet charming accents, suppressing her tears.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Seeing her husband leaving the home, the beautiful Devahuti smiled outwardly, but with a heart disturbed and pained, she looked down, writing on the earth with her jewel-like toe nails, and, suppressing her tears, slowly spoke charming words.
She smiled since that was natural on seeing her husband, but actually her heart was filled with worry and agitation.
Purport
Devahūti was so beautiful that her toenails appeared just like pearls, and as she scratched the ground it appeared as if pearls had been thrown on the ground. When a woman scratches the ground with her foot, it is a sign that her mind is very disturbed. These signs were sometimes exhibited by the
gopīs
before Kṛṣṇa. When the
gopīs
came in the dead of night and Kṛṣṇa asked them to return to their homes, the
gopīs
also scratched the ground like this because their minds were very disturbed.